July 5th, 2017 - Bible Inspiration of the Day
Should I Say That?
Hello, everyone! I hope you are having a blessed day so far. I am going to be sharing with you today the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 45:1-11, alongside a devotional and some insight of my own. God bless :)
Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-11 (NIV)
1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnanton earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’
Devotional:
“The perception of favoritism is one of the biggest factors in sibling rivalry,” said Dr. Barbara Howard, a developmental behavioral pediatrician (“When Parents Have a Favorite Child” nytimes.com). An example would be the Old Testament character Joseph, who was his father’s favorite son, which made his older brothers furious (Gen. 37:3–4). So they sold Joseph to merchants traveling to Egypt and made it appear that a wild animal had killed him (37:12–36). His dreams had been shattered and his future appeared hopeless.
Yet, along Joseph’s journey of life, he chose to be true to his God and rely on Him even when it seemed to make his situation worse. After being falsely accused by his employer’s wife and imprisoned for something he didn’t do, Joseph struggled with the injustice of his situation but kept trusting the Lord.
Years later his brothers came to Egypt to buy grain during a famine and were terrified to discover that their despised younger brother was now the Prime Minister. But Joseph told them, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you . . . . It was not you who sent me here, but God” (45:5, 8).
Joseph’s kind words cause me to wonder if I would be ready for revenge. Or would I be gracious because my heart had confidence in the Lord?
Dear Father, give us the faith to trust You today and the ability to see Your hand of good along our road of life.
In the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith can we see the loving hand of God.
INSIGHT: We struggle with the pain others cause us. Why is it so hard to let go of these wounds? How can the example of Jesus, who was wounded for us, help us to find a healthier way to deal with our hurts?
Remarks & Conclusion
I dealt with bitterness at a very tender age of 12. I burned a lot of bridges with friends and classmates simply because I was angry at what they did towards me, and I didn't want to associate with them ever again. Forgiveness was imminent, and I did not plan on forgiving anytime soon. I ignored them attempting to talk to me, did not look them in the eye, and pretended that they did not exist. The Story of Joseph and his brothers really touches home with me because he did not act in the same manner. Instead, he trusted God and faced the adversity head on without long-term anger or bitterness in his heart. I would presume he would have slight anger or doubt in his faith while his circumstances worsened, but it would not have lasted long.
Over the years, as I've grown and lost/gained friends and colleagues, by the grace of God, I was able to continue my walk with the Lord, and see what sin I have committed against others - I was self-centered and only thinking about myself. There was tremendous pride in my heart, which fogged the way the I viewed friends, life and others. Instead of friends that I truly cared, I only cared about how I looked in front of them, how I would benefit and help them out to get praise from others, so on and so forth. I viewed the world as a video game, obtaining objects as friends to help my build my kingdom of worship for myself.
Radical change happened 2 years ago, and I am eternally grateful. When battles arise and bitterness begins to surface again, I look to Scripture and prayer as my source of attack and defense. I've learned to let go, cast away the pride in my heart, and let God deal these battles for me, for He is my refuge and strength in my weakness and temptations. Instead of revenge, let us all take on the breastplate of humility, the sword of prayer and Scripture, and the helmet of love and mercy towards others (these descriptions are not from Ephesians by the way :p)
Thank you all for reading! As of right now, I am 37 followers away from 200 followers, which is crazy! When I reach that milestone, I will surely do another SBD giveaway. Hopefully this time around, it will be bigger and better than the last. Thank you so much for your support and for your contributions to my content. It means a lot to me.
